Briquetting machine



pn' M, 1935. .1, P. CULLEN BRIQUETTING MACHINE I Filed May 6, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ff/ 4Z 45 LSQPSES April i6, 1935. .1. P. cULLx-:N

BRIQUETTING MACHINE 3 sheets-sheet 2 i Filed May 6, 1932 frz verz/ifo? LQQZSEB April 16, 1935. J. P. cULLr-:N

BRIQUETTING MACHINE Filed May e, 1932 3 sheets-sheet 3 e; 57/7 Z if,

Patented Apr. 16, 1935 y UNITED STATES vrArENr OFFICE BRIQUETTIANG MACHINE John P. Cullen, Bay City, Mich., assignor to Industrial Brownhoist Corporation, Bay City, Mich., a corporation of Ohio Application May 5,1932, Serial No. 609,575 s claims. [(0125-87) rangement of parts so correlated Vand timed that the molds will be progressivelyy charged, the charges compressed into briquettes, and the briquettes forced from the molds into'a position to be moved from the machine on subsequent opiy erating cycles.

Another object of the invention a reciprocating feeding means 'for charging .theV

is to provide molds, together with complemental means for advancing and retracting the feeding means',fand

JY further provide means for adjusting the'feeding means relatively to the molds to compensate for misalignment or wear in the advancing and retracting means.

A further object is to produce a new and improved machinel for compressing loose material into a compact mass or briquette, which is strong and substantial and yet simple in construction,

and which is provided with resilient means to absorb abnormal strains when being compressed.

the V`material is With the above and other objects in view, the

present invention consists in the combination and correlation of parts, hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying'drawinfgs,

and particularly pointed out in the appendedA claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the form, size, proportion, and minor details or" construction, without departing from the spirit, or sacrificing any of cf the invention.

In the drawings- 'the advantages Fig. l is 'a side elevation of my improved briquetting machine, the solid the skip or bucket in position lines indicating for loading, the

dotted lines showing it in its raised or discharging position.

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan View taken on Vthe line 2 2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional side view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, showing one of the molds, a compressing plunger, and operating'cam, together with the necessary intermediary mechanisms.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on Fig. 2.

Y ther provided with a discharge opening Fig. 5 is an enlarged View, part sectional, taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 2, showing the assembly of the mold feeding means, a mold, the complemental cams for advancing and Yretracting the mold feeding means, and the intermediary means for operating the feeding means by said cams.

Fig. 6 illustrates the means provided for adjusting the feeding means relatively to the molds, the feeding means being shown at the forward limitof adjustment.r

.;Fig. 7 is .a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the rearward limit of adjustment.

Fig; S is a fragmentary sectional view showing the mold feeding means as registered with the mold to discharge its contents, and a brquette pushed away .from the mouth of the mold by the pressure plate.

Fig. 9is a view similar to Fig. 8 illustrating the plate .as the feeding means with a subsequent charge, is moved the mold.

In the illustrated embodiment of my invention there is shown a base 6 on which a structural frame 7 is mounted, which together support the necessary apparatus required ,for a machine of the kind in question. The front end and the sides of the frame l are vertical and are covered with plates 8 and 9 as usual. The rear end, which is inclined forwardly from the Vertical, is made up of beam members il) and a plate Il. The beams l5 extend from the base 5 to thetop of the frame l, and lie in planes of the side plates 8 and 9 to which they are fastened;

At the top of the frame i and extending transversely between the side plates 8 is-a cylindrical shaped hopperl with a charge receiving open` ing I3 in its periphery which extends substantially Vfrom a horizontal plane passed through the axis of the cylinder upwardly andvforwardly to a vertical axial plane. The hopper l2 is fu;-

ILi at the bottom thereof, anda gate i5 normally forms a closure for said opening, said gate being manually operated by means of a handwheel and gear forward to again register with Cil il extends through the cylindrical hopper and side plates 8, and is journaled to the frame 1, a sprocket I8 being mounted on one end thereof (see Fig. l), and a relatively smaller sprocket I9 is provided on the opposite end, said shaft being also provided with blades (not shown), to thoroughly mix the comminuted material and the bonding agent.

A skip 25 is slidably secured to the channels I by means of guides 2I, one side and its top being open, the open side facing toward the plate I I, which plate extends from the base 6 to the opening I 3 in the hopper I2, and is the means for keeping the charge in the skip untilV it reaches the upper end of the plate, where the charge passes into the hopper I2 through the opening I3 when the skip is hoisted to the top of the frame. The material .to be compressed into briquettes is shoveled, or otherwise fed, into the skip 26 through a screen 22 which is fastened to'the skip across the top opening.

The lowerY ends of the side plates 9 are flared inwardly toward the center of the frame, which, together with the front vertical plate 8 and -a rear vertical plate 23, forms a storage bin 24 to receive the mixed vmaterial from the hopper I2. The lower end of the plate 8 does not extend as far down as the ends of the flared plates 9, thus providing an opening to allow the material ,in the storage bin 24 to be forced out, forwardly, by a reciprocating table 25, which is directly below the inwardly flared ends of the plates 9, and which extends fromthe rear of the bin 24 forwardly and somewhat beyond the side plates 9 of the bin 24.

The table 25 comprises a horizontally disposed plate 26, which is provided with an opening near its forward end, together with two material retaining angles 21 which are fastened to the plate 23 at its horizontal edges with their freed legs upright. The rear end of the table 25 is supported by. rollers 28, which are mounted on the frame 'i through the medium of a shaft 29 and bearings 38.

Resiliently mounted on the base 6 in front of the frame 1 is a mold box 3|, which carries guides 32 and an apertured plate 33. Slidably mounted on the plate 33 and within the guides E? is a feed box 34; this feed box extends from the plate 33 upwardly to the underside of the reciprocating table 25 to which it is fastened, registering with the opening in the plate 26, and is the means for supporting the forward end of the table 25.

To counteract the upward thrust or pressure 4produced when the material in the mold is being compressed into briquettes 35,an L-shaped pressure plate 36 is provided, and it is attached to the front side of the feed box 34, and within the guides 32. A pair of spaced apart bearings 31 are fastened to the foot of the feed box 34 and to the rear thereof.

A cam-carrying shaft 38 is journaled in bearings 39 which are mounted on the base 6, and a gear and sprocket 4U and 4I respectively are mounted thereon, said shaft being driven by a motor or other means (not shown), through intermediate shafts 42 and 43 and their respective gears, the gear 44 meshing with the gear 40, and a chain 45 encompasses the sprockets 4I and I3 for driving the shaft I1.

The novel correlation of cams referred to in the preamble of this specification, is mounted on the shaft 38 in spaced apart relation, and the cycle of operation is substantially as followsl A cam 46, whose primary function is to operate the material compressing mechanisms, is keyed to the shaft 38 midway between the side members of the base 6, the peripheral contour being composed of surfaces 45A, 46B, 46C, 46D, and 46E, as plainly indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. That part of the cams periphery, designated by the symbol 46A, is employed during the compressing of the material in the molds, and the part 46B functions to force or strip the briquettes out of the molds. To insure a perfect alignment of the top faces of the compressing plungers with thetop surface of the apertured plate 33, a shoe 46E is removably attached to the cam 46 at 46B, and shims (not shown) may be added or taken out as occasions require.

Compressing plungers 41 are fitted in the molds of the mold box 3|, each plunger being provided with a pair of downwardly extending ears 48, to which a connecting link 49 is pivotally connected by means of a pin member 56.

A non-rotatable shaft I extends across the base 6 and projects through the side members of the same, a lever 52 being mounted thereon and is provided with a hub 53, said lever being also formed-with spaced apart pairs of short arms 54 which project forwardly to and embrace the links 49. A pair of long arms 55 is also formed integral with the hub and extend rearwardly to a point below and just beyond the cam shaft 38; said pair of arms embracing the cam 46, and support at their ends a cam contacting roller 55 which is mounted on a pin 51 that passes through the arms. The shorter pairs of arms carry a through pin 58 on which are threaded the several links 49.

A stop 59 is fastened to the base 6 near the bottom thereof to limit the downward movement of the shorter arms 54, and springs 60 are fastened at their lower ends to the arms 55 and at their upper ends to the frame 1, and are designed to keep the roller 53 against the periphery of the cam 46 during a cycle of operation.

Rectangular-shaped guide blocks or bearings 6I are mounted on the cam shaft 38 on each side of and adjacent to the cam 46, and are grooved on their upper and lower surfaces to accommodate connecting links 62 and 63 which extend from the rear side of the guid-e block bearings 6l forwardly to the bearings 31 at the foot of the feed bor 34 when the latter is in register with the mold box 3|. Said connecting links 62 and l63 are provided at their forward ends with pin holes which engage an eccentric pin 64 that passes through the bearings 31 at the foot of the feed box 34. The end of the pin 64, that projects beyond the bearings, is square in cross-section, providing means by which the eccentric pin may be turned in the bearings 31 to adjust the feed box 34 relatively to the mold box 3l. It is obvious that any adjustment made by rotating the pin 54 does not affect the travel of the links 62 and 53. Adjustments vary only the distances between the holes in the endy of the links and the center of the feed box 34.

A link separating member 65, extends between the connecting links at their front ends and is v provided to keep the links in alignment with their relative positions on the cam shaft 38. Depend- Aing from the links 52 and 63 are spaced apart arms 66 and 61 respectively, which extend to the 'grooves in the under/surface of the guide blocks spectively, and are fastened thereto to. keep fthe links 62 and 63 in'slidingengagement with the blocks 6i when themechanisms. are operating. On the forwarddep'ending arm 66 of the'link 62 and on the outside face thereof is a wrist pin which carries a cam engaging roller 1D, and the rear depending arm 6l of the link 63 is likewise provided witha cam engaging roller ll. Complemental camsA 12 with the peripheral surfaces 12A, 12B, I2C, and 'l2D,.and cam 13 with the peripheral surfaces 13A, HiB, 13C, and-13D, are keyed to the cam shaft'38 between the link 62 and one of the bearings 39, and the link63 and the other bearing 39; respectively. Cam ..12 functions to advance the feed boxv 34 through the medium of the connecting links 62 and 63, and cam 13 functions to rretract the feed rbox through the same' medium. YTo prevent any clogging or massing. of the mixed material on the reciprocating `feed table 25 at the receiving end of the. feedy box 34, an agitator 14, of any suitable construction, is located just forward of the frame 6, and above the table 25 at a height to permit the ends of the tines or blades thereof to Vclear the plate 26.. The agitator is driven from the shaft 38, sprockets'l and 16 being mounted on'the agitator shaft and cam shaft 38 respectively.,v andV these sprockets are connected by'a chain 1'! in the usual manner.

When the material isbeing compressed, the pressure plate 36 covers the mold openings, the ends of the plate .slidably engaging beneath the bottom-face of guides .32. vspaced apart springs la are mounted onl these guides, andcaps 19 are mounted on the springs, the guides and caps being drilled to accommodate bolts 89 which` are anchored to the base, the upper ends of the -bolts being threaded to receive nuts 8| in the usual manner, so that the springs may be adjusted as desired.

A conventional hoisting mechanism .82, including thefusual drum, clutch, and brake assembly, is located at the top of the frame 1, and in jux' taposition with the Ychannel beams l0. This mechanism is actuated by means of a sprocket Vchain 93 that passes around the sprocket I9 and a sprocket 3e which is mounted on the hoistshaft 85. A hoist rope 86 is fastened to the skip 20 and leads upwardly to and around the drum of the hoist 92. f

A briquette receiving table BLwith the upper face of its plate level with the top face of the plate 33, is located just'forwardY of the mold box 3i to receive the briquettes as `they are pushed along the plate 33 by the pressure plate 35.

From thev foregoing thoroughgoing description of the constituent parts of my invention, the op#- eration of the machine as a whole vwill be readily perceived by those skilled in the art. y

Normally, the skip 2) is at rest at the lower limit of its travel, and the clutch -of the hoist 82 is out of engagement. All other mechanisms, ex#- cepting the handwheelmechanisrn Haare actuated when the current to the motor (not shown) is turned on. v A

VAfter the skip 26 has been filled with comminuted material, (the bonding agent may be added before the skip is hoisted `or afterthe material has entered the' mixing hopper l2) the hoist clutch is thrown into engagement, therebyI actuating the hoisting mechanism, whereupon the rope will be wound'in and the skip willv be raised to its upper limit of travel, at which point it automatically throws the clutch out of engagement, Vandthe brake is applied to hold` it, or it is permitted to f return to its filling position yby gravity. During Vthe raising of the skip, the contents thereof are held inplaceby reason of the skips .contact with the plate Il, and they contents begin discharging into the mixing hopper i2 when the open side of the skippasses'beyond the upper edge of the plate H. The mixing process begins the moment the material reaches the hopper," and when the kingredients have been thoroughly mixed, the 'gate I5 is opened to permit the mixture to discharge onto the reciprocating table 25 which constitutes thev bottom of the storage bin 24, after which it is again closed to retain the next of subsequent charges from the skip.

An extreme rearward oscillation of the recipro eating table 25 with the attached and depending feedbox 3,4 brings -the opening in the Yplate 25 under the materialfrom the storage bin 24, thereby allowing the feed box to become filled (see Fig. 10) This extreme; rearward movement is brought about by the projection 'E3B of the cam 13 contacting therollery 'Il of the connecting link 62. While the roller 'H is riding the projection 13B, the roller I0 isv contacting thecarn 'l2 at its surface'l/ZC, and theshoe 55E, of the cam et, is approaching the roller 55 of the lever 52, to finish the upward stroke of the plunger El, and, while the roller 56I rides the'shoe 46E, the plunger 4l will be held stationary with itstop surface level with the upper -face ofthe plate 33.

When the cam 12 rotates far enough for the surface'lZC to leave the roller T9, it will thrust the links 62rand 53 forwardly, thereby advancing the feed box 34 to its forwardrlimit Vof travel,

Where it registers with the mold box 3! to charge the same, when .the projection 512A' meets the roller 19, andit will be heldin that position while the roller 16 is riding the cam surface 12A. (See Figs. 5 and 8.) Before the cam projection '12A leaves the roller l',-the cam 46 Will have -rotated far enough for-the roller 56 of the lever'52, to have passed theshoe 45E; the spring 69' will pull the lever-arms55 upwardly, thereby forcing the cam arm 54 downwardly until it meets the stop 59. The plunger 46, of course, is brought down to l its lower limit of travel by the action of the lever 52. A f

I Thevnext step in the cycle occurs when the cam surface 13A leaves the rollerfm, and the cam surface 13C leaves the roller 'll (see Fig. 10). After the cam surfaces, just above mentioned, have left their respective rollers,r alfurther rotating of the cam shaft 33 will cause the cam surface 13D of the cam 'I3 to contact the roller 'il of the link B3, which will force the, connecting links 62 and 53 backwardly, thereby retracting the feed box 34 and the attached'pressure plate 36 until the latter completely covers the mouth ofthe mold box 3l (see Fig. 9k), where it is held stationary until the cam surface-13A passes beyond the roller 1l. While .the pressureplate 3@ is being held against movement over the mold4 box 3|, the cam surface 46A contactsl theroller 59, of the lever 52, and forces the arm .55 downwardly and, consequently, the plunger 4l upwardly to compress the material in the mold box 3l,

After the' compression stroke is finished, the cam surface 45D next'contacts the roller 59 which permits the arm 55 ltoY raise and thereby lower the plunger Wto relieve the pressure in the briquetteY just made. While'A the camvsurface 46D is riding the roller 56 to'keep the plunger idle, the cam surface 'EBD is'contacting the roller ll, which backwardly to the end of their travel, thereby unraction forces the feed box 311 and pressure plate covering the mold box 3|. As soon as the cam surface 13B contacts the roller 1| to hold the feed box 34 stationary, the cam surface 36E contacts the roller 56 and further depresses the arm 55, which action raises the plunger 41 to the upper limit of its travel, forcing the briquettes from the mold box 3| The plunger 41 is held at its upper limit of travel with its top surface level with the slide plate 33 while and when the shoe 46E contacts the roller` 56, and while the plunger is in the position just described, the cam surface 13D is contacting the roller 1|! and forcing the feed box 34 with a new charge and the pressure plate 36 forwardly through the medium of the links 62 and 63. During this forward movement, the pressure plate 36 encounters the briquettes made in the previous cycle, and forces them forwardly to the receiving table 81.

Having thus described acomplete cycle, it is quite apparent that the following sequential order or steps occur during the completion of such cycle:

First. The feed box 34 was filled with material.

Second. The filled feed box was advanced to register with the mold box 3| to discharge its contents into the mold box.

Third. The feed box 34 and pressure plate 36 were retracted until the pressure plate completely covered the mouth of the mold box 3| and held there until the plungers 41 compressed the material in the molds into briquettes.

Fourth. The feed box 34 was further retracted to its original filling position, and the briquettes were forced or stripped out of the molds by the plungers 41, to be pushed forwardly onto the receiving table 81, when the pressure plate 36 encountered the same during the next or subsequent cycles.

What I claim is:

l.. A briquetting machine of the class described, comprising a frame, a material mixing hopper, a skip, a storage bin, molds equipped with material compressing and discharging members, means for discharging material from the mixing hopper to said storage bin, a table open to said bin and forming the bottom thereof, means for reciproeating said table to charge said molds, means for progressively actuating the said compressing and discharging members, and yieldable means engageable by said table when said table forms a closur for the open end of the mold.

2. AA briquetting machine of the class described comprising a frame including a base, molds mounted on said base, each mold beingequipped with a compressing and discharging member, a horizontally disposed reciprocating mold charging and closing means mounted above the molds adapted in one position to receive material, in a subsequent position to discharge the material into said molds, and in a third position to cover the mouth of the molds, yieldable means on said frame and with which the table engages when said mold charging mechanism covers the mouth of the mold, means for actuating the mold charging and closing means, and means for sequentially operating the compressing and discharging member.

3. In a briquetting machine, the combination -wiuh a base, of a plurality of molds equipped with compressing and discharging members, a combination bin closure, mold charging and closing member, a driven shaft, a pair of connecting links slidably mounted thereon and adjustably attached to said combination member for adjusting the molds and combination member relatively to each other, a pair of complemental cams engaging said pair of connecting links for reciprocating the combined member, and a cam mounted on said shaft between the connecting links, for sequentially actuating said compressing and discharging members as the shaft is driven.

4. In a briquetting machine, the combination with a structure having a mold equipped with a plunger, a combined mold charging and mold closing unit, means for feeding material to said combined unit, a shaft, a pair of connecting links slidably mounted on said shaft and adjustably connected to said combined member, complemental cams keyed to the shaft, said cams being engageable with said connecting links for advancing the charging unit to register with the mold and the closing unit to go beyond the mouth of the mold, said cams also retracting the combined member to position the closing unit over the mold, and further retract the combined member to its material receiving position, and a cam keyed to said shaft midway of the cornplemental cams for sequentially actuating the plunger member to compress the material in the mold when it is covered, and to move the compressed material to the face of the charging unit after the mold is uncovered.

5. In a briquetting machine, the combination with a structure, ofa plurality of molds mounted thereon, plungers in said molds, a unitary member comprising a bin closure, mold charger, and mold closing plate slidably mounted on said molds and structure, a driven shaft, a pair of connecting links slidably mounted on said shaft and adjustably connected to said unitary member, complemental cams embracing and engaging said connecting links for reciprocating said links as the shaft is rotated, a, compressing cam, a second shaft, a lever journaled on said shaft and formed with opposed short and long bifurcated arms, links connecting the short arms with said plungers, the longer arm embracing and engaging said compressing cam as the driven shaft is actuated.

6. In a briquetting machine, the combination with a structure, of a plurality of molds mounted thereon, plungers in said molds, a unitary member comprising a bin closure, mold charger, and mold closing plate slidably mounted on said molds and structure, vertically yieldable means engageable by said plate when said plate is positioned over the mold, a cam shaft supported transversely of the structure, a pair of vconnecting links slidably mounted on said shaft and adjustably connected to said unitary member, complemental cams engaging said connecting links for reciprocating them as the lshaft is rotated, a compressing cam, a second shaft, a lever journaled on said shaft and provided with bifurcated arms, links connecting the shorter arms with said plungers, the longer arm embracing and engaging said compressing cam, and resilient means fastened to the longer arm and to the structure for holding the longer arm in continuous contact with said compressing cam.

7. In a briquetting machine, the combination with a structure, of a plurality of molds mounted thereon, plungers in said molds, a unitary member comprising a bin closure, mold charger, and mold closing plate slidably mounted on said molds and structure, yieldable means on the frame and engageable by said plate when the plate is positioned to form a closure for the mold, a shaft supported transversely of the structure, a pair of connecting links slidably mounted on said shaft and ,adjustably connected to said unitary means for actuating said plunger including a shaft, a reciprocating feed table having a feed box secured thereto and shiftable into and out of Vertical alignment with said mold, vertically yieldable means` engaging said table When the table is positioned over the mold, and means for reciprocating said plate including a pair of connecting links slidably mounted on said shaft with their outer ends adjustably connected to said feed box.

JoHN P. CULLEN. 

